DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's description): This Gordon Conference will focus on the physiology, as distinct from the molecular genetics, of development. It will emphasize integrative concepts that include physical mechanisms, observations of whole living organisms and the often fast (millisecond to ten minutes) mechanisms of physiology as they apply to cells and developmental systems. Moreover, it will emphasize the comparative physiology and developmental strategies of widely varied organisms: from slime molds and algae to flowering plants, flies, and vertebrates. In addition, every effort will be made to connect these aspects of developmental physiology with applications of molecular genetics of development.